


Ben Wyatt Wins the Lottery, Twice

by jell_0_shot



Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-07-11 10:47:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19926820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jell_0_shot/pseuds/jell_0_shot
Summary: honestly? i don't even know. leslie needs money to build her park, ben has lots of money. falling in love and other such nonsense ensues. p.s. let's eat the rich





	1. Chapter 1

Winning the lottery had ruined Ben Wyatt's life. 

He pulled his car into a small hotel parking lot, glancing up at the tacky 'Pawnee Motel' sign as he passed it. It was a deep green with yellow lettering, and the paint was peeling. He shook his head - he wasn't entirely sure how Chris had managed to convince him that this was a good idea. He'd told him he'd been here on a business trip a few months ago and that it was a 'quirky' town. He'd also told him he needed to get out of Indianapolis to clear his head. Ben turned off the ignition and grabbed his mobile.

_'Didn't know quirky meant rundown.'_

Chris replied almost instantly, _'It has a charm, I promise.'_

Ben sighed and looked out towards the reception. There was a neon sign hanging in the window that read, 'Welcome to Pawnee.' His back was aching from the drive here. He'd worked today even though it was a Saturday, and driven here after a beer at his desk once he'd finished for the day. This would be good for him, he decided. If he let it be. 

The lady at the reception desk was chirpy. It was far too late for chirpiness, but Ben tried to match her smiles. His room was nice enough, and there was only one unidentifiable stain on the carpet. _I can't believe I'm a multi-millionaire, and I'm staying here,_ he thought. And then he told himself he was an entitled asshole, out loud. He told himself that almost daily.

He turned on the television but there was nothing playing that was holding his interest. He didn't feel like reading and even though he'd brought his briefcase with him, the last thing he wanted to do was work. He grabbed his phone again and typed, 'things to do in Pawnee, Indiana' into the search bar. He clicked on the first article that popped up. It was bright and colourful, full of pictures, and had 326 things listed. There was no way this ridiculous town had 326 things to do in it. He skimmed the list - visit the Pawnee Historical Museum, get your photo taken with Li'l Sebastian, enjoy a meal at the All-You-Can-Eat Stew restaurant - before groaning, and deciding to just turn in for the night.

He fell asleep wondering who on earth Li'l Sebastian was. 

* * *

Ben was in the shower the next morning when he made a pact with himself to adjust his attitude. Everything had been so miserable the last few years, he owed it to himself to at least try and enjoy this trip away. Even if he was in what felt like the middle of nowhere. He got dressed and made his way to a place called JJ's Diner - it had been listed as the number one thing to do in Pawnee on the article, so he figured it must be good. 

Ben wasn't really missing summer. The air was starting to get a real chill to it, and he pulled his jacket tighter around himself, relishing how awake it made him feel. He'd decided to walk to breakfast, his pace fast and his nose cold. Ben looked around him and took in the Pawnee streets. It was so suburban. The kind of place you'd raise a family. Which just made him think about Cindy, and how he thought she was the one he'd be having a family with, and then he was back to being miserable. If Chris were here, he'd remind him it had been three years and that he needed to move on. He had moved on. That didn't stop him from feeling terribly alone most of the time, though.

JJ's was full of people enjoying their Sunday breakfasts and Ben watched his fellow diners as he drank his coffee from a booth. He was listening to a young couple bicker when a waitress appeared next to him. 

"Cheese and tomato omelette?" She asked.

He nodded and she placed it in front of him. It was better than he was expecting - spectacularly so, actually - and he decided to trust the article from now on. Visiting Ramsett Park was the second thing listed, so he figured he should head there next. Besides, he could do with the fresh air and nature.

He did not, however, get his peaceful walk in the park.

The place was teeming with families - children running everywhere, their flustered parents chasing after them, and teenagers roaming with hot chocolates and waffles on paper plates. There were bouncy castles and face-painting booths and carnival games. An entire patch of grass was dedicated to food vendors, and people wearing matching green printed shirts were milling about, handing out stickers to the kids.

Ben stopped in his tracks. _Of course_ there was an event on today. The one day he was in town and wanted some restorative quiet. He was about to turn around and leave when a woman standing behind a podium caught his eye. She was small, and the blonde curls of her hair were caught in the wind. She was speaking into a microphone and Ben could just about make out the gist of what she was saying - they were going to be starting an auction soon. She was enthusiastic and energetic and everything Ben wasn't.

He found his way over to one of the face-painting stations where a woman wearing one of the green shirts was standing. He read the lettering on the back, 'The All-Day Fun Day Fundraiser is brought to you by the Sub-Committee for Pit Beautification'.

"Excuse me?" He sort of cleared his throat, not entirely sure what he was doing or why he was still here.

The woman turned around, her eyes still beaming from watching the blonde at the podium. She had flowers painted on one side of her face, from her temple down her cheek. Her bangs covered some of them, and she was beautiful.

"Hey." She smiled at him, "Can I help you?"

"I was just wondering what all this is for?" He motioned towards, well, everything. The entire park.

"Oh, we're fundraising!" She pointed to the front of her shirt, "There's this giant pit behind my house - well, it's actually more of an empty lot now that we've filled it in - but anyway, we're trying to raise enough money to turn it into a community park."

Ben glanced at the front of her shirt. It said, 'Let's Build A Park', with three small trees underneath. 

"Are you taking donations?"

He saw the excitement growing on her face. Before, it had been just the slightest bit guarded, as if she had been trying to figure out what his deal was. He wasn't even sure what his deal was, but it sounded like they needed the money and he had plenty of it.

"We are, definitely. You're probably best talking to Leslie about that, though."

"Leslie?" Ben asked.

The woman turned back towards the blonde at the podium and pointed, "She's the boss."

Ben thanked her and weaved his way through the crowd that had gathered to listen to Leslie earlier. She was standing just off to the side talking to some more people in green shirts, while a young man spoke to the crowd. Her hype man, he guessed, judging by the volume and pitch of his voice as he yelled into the microphone.

He started to walk up to Leslie and she caught him out of the corner of her eye, turning towards him slightly while she finished giving instructions to the volunteers around her. Once they all had their tasks and had scattered, she turned towards him fully.

"Hi, Sir, can I help you?"

Ben hadn't noticed how soft her features were before when he'd seen her from a distance. Her curls framed her face and her smile was wide, and warm. He wanted this woman - this complete stranger - to wrap her arms around him and tell him everything was going to be okay. Somehow, he felt like it would fix everything. Then he realised it was his turn to say something. 

"Sorry, yes. Are you Leslie?"

"That's me." She beamed.

"Okay, cool." He held out his hand. "I'd like to make a donation."

Leslie's eyes lit up and somehow her smile grew even wider as she shook his outstretched hand. "Really?"

"Yeah, yeah. How much are you trying to raise?"

She shifted her weight onto her other foot, assessing him the same way the face-painting lady had. "Well, ultimately we need to raise $35,000 to start the process but any donation helps, no matter the size."

"Okay." Ben said, nodding, looking out at the crowd. If he had to have a stupid amount of money, he may as well give it away when people needed it. "I'll give you $50,000."

Leslie's smile faltered, "What?"

"Is that enough?"

"Is _$50,000_ enough?" She sounded incredulous. 

Ben frowned, "I can give you more if you need."

She was quiet for a moment, her eyes scanning his face. "What's your name?" She said, her tone sharpening.

"Ben Wyatt."

"Well, _Ben Wyatt,_ I don't know if it was April or Tom that put you up to this, but I have too much to do today to have my time wasted on stupid pranks."

She'd said his name so coldly and her tone was painfully curt. He was stunned. Did this lady not want his free money to build her park?

"Sorry - who's April and Tom?"

"Good day, Sir."

And with that, she turned on her heel and walked away from him. He watched her reclaim her spot on the podium and begin addressing the crowd, the warmth having returned to her voice. She started the auction, her voice travelling out across the park as she described the first item - a signed book by someone called Perd Hapley. He noticed her steal a quick glance in his direction to check if was still there. He was, for some reason. That was his cue.

He turned, shaking his head, and left as someone bought the signed book for $300. He walked all the way back to the hotel, turning over the last half hour in his head. He'd gone to the park for a peaceful walk, been met by screaming children and their screaming parents, offered to pay for a different park to be built and then had his donation turned down. And rather rudely, too. What was happening? This definitely wasn't the quiet, healing getaway that Chris had urged Ben to take. He hadn't even been here for 24 hours and already, money had made him feel terrible. Money. He couldn't escape it.

"You're an entitled asshole." He breathed, walking into his hotel room. 


	2. Chapter 2

Ben had called Chris to complain, but he was in the middle of a run when he answered. He told Ben to stop moping around his hotel room and that he should go for a run, too.

"Once you've got your heart rate up, you'll feel much better." His breathing was completely normal even though he was on mile eight.

"Yeah, sure. Thanks Chris."

The call ended and Ben wondered why he had bothered calling Chris anyway. His advice was always to go for a run. Bad day at the office? Exercise. Bad break up? Go for a hike. Mother coming to visit for the holidays? Push-ups. He did sort of have a point though - he was just wasting what little time he had here staying cooped up in his hotel. He opened up the Pawnee to-do list on his phone again and glanced down the page. He made a plan of how to spend the rest of the day: he'd start off with a guided tour of the city centre, followed by a trip to the Hompherman Snow Globe Museum (this one seemed risky but he was committed to trusting the list), and finish it off by picking up something from Paunch Burger on the way back. The thought of sitting in a restaurant, eating alone, was unbearable. 

The guided tour went fine and he even found out who Li'l Sebastian was - not a famous Pawneean rapper as he had assumed, but a small horse. He actually really enjoyed the snow globe museum, and the trees were all strung with fairy lights on his walk to the closest Paunch Burger. He was starting to see the charm that Chris had insisted this town had. He asked for his meal deal to-go, and made his way back to his hotel room.

Ben was just starting on his fries when there was a knock on his door.

He frowned at the sound, quickly wiping the salt off his hands, and answered it. He was expecting a fellow guest or the hotel manager, so when he saw Leslie's small frame standing outside, his eyebrows knitted together. He had only _just_ stopped over-thinking her strange rejection.

"Hi." She said. She sounded a little nervous. "I'm Leslie Knope. We met at the park earlier."

She was still in the same clothes, the words, 'Let's Build A Park' taunting him from the green shirt underneath her jacket. She looked exhausted and determined. 

"Yeah, hey. Did you only just leave the fundraiser?" It was late and dark outside. They must have really meant it when they said _all_ -day fun day.

"Yeah, I just left."

"That's a long day."

"I have a great team." She shrugged, as if that made it worth it. Maybe it did - Ben wouldn't know. He wasn't really friends with anyone he worked with anymore.

"Do you want to come in?" Ben asked. He had no idea why she was here or what the correct proceedings for this situation were, but offering for her to come out of the cold seemed like the right thing to do.

"No, it's okay. Thanks."

A moment of silence passed between them that Ben had no idea how to fill. And then, eventually -

"Uh, how did you find me?"

"Oh, I called all of the hotels in town. I went to high school with the owner here and I bribed him to tell me what room you were staying in with a promise of homemade sugar cookies."

She spoke so nonchalantly, as if it was totally normal to go to those lengths to track down a complete stranger. 

"That's... illegal, right? What if you had been a murderer? Oh god, you're not here to murder me, are you?" He was only half-joking. She was small but he got the feeling you wouldn't want to mess with her. And she had already yelled at him today.

"No, I'm not here to murder you." She chewed her lip.

Ben sighed, "Let me guess - you Googled me?"

"Yes." She nodded. 

"And now you want me to buy you a car. Or a house."

"I don't want your money." She said defiantly. Then she faltered, "Well, actually, I do. But not for me - for the park." She motioned to her shirt.

"I see." Ben rested his shoulder on the door frame.

"I spoke to April and Tom and they promised me that they hadn't set it up, so I searched your name online and, well, when I saw how much you'd won I figured you must have been serious about that donation." She paused, waiting for him to say something but he didn't. He was trying to figure out if he was amused or annoyed. "I'm sorry for how I reacted, back at the park."

Ben assessed her; shoulders squared, eyes kind. "That's okay." And he meant it.

Leslie looked at him, hopeful, wishing he wouldn't make her ask. 

"I can get a cheque to you tomorrow."

"Really?!"

"Yeah, where should I meet you?"

"You could come by my office." She handed him a business card from her purse. She was practically buzzing, unable to hide her excitement. Her eyes were wide, "Thank you so much! Okay, well, wow. I'll see you tomorrow, _Ice Town_." She held up two weak finger guns. 

Ben frowned at her teasing smile. "Oh, yeah, no - we don't know each other well enough to joke about that yet."

She changed her hands from finger guns to in surrender as she backed away, "Okay, sorry. Please still give me the park money."

"I'll see you tomorrow." He chuckled. He watched her walk away, trying to place how he felt as he shut the door softly.

Google was also trying to ruin his life, apparently.

He pulled out his phone, deciding that it wasn't fair that she knew all of his secrets but he didn't know hers, and typed 'Leslie Knope' into the search bar. A bunch of articles popped up, mostly to do with the local Parks and Recreation Department. He looked down at the business card between his fingers and read, 'Leslie Knope, Deputy Director of the Pawnee Parks and Recreation Department'. Well, that made sense. The fourth article down caught his eye - 

_326 Things To Do in Pawnee, Indiana (The Best Town in America - Nay, The World)_

He clicked on the link for the third time since he'd arrived here and scrolled to the bottom. 

_Written by Leslie Knope._

He barely knew her, but the fact that the woman who had stubbornly rejected his donation, and then stalked him to ask for it back, had written the _very long_ article that had been helping him enjoy his trip here, also made sense somehow. 

He'd have to thank her for that omelette. 


	3. Chapter 3

Five years ago, Ben's life had been on track. He had managed to put the impeachment behind him, for the most part. He had a great job at the Indiana State Auditing Department that he enjoyed, a busy social life, a somewhat okay relationship with his parents, and a girlfriend he was pretty sure he was going to marry. Cindy had just moved in when it happened. He'd bought the ticket on a whim one day when he was out buying some groceries. There was a big sign that read, 'Become a Millionaire Today!', and he was one of the suckers who'd fallen for it. He'd taken the ticket home, stuck it on the fridge, and told Cindy that he'd buy her a mansion and a flying car if he won. 

He did win, but he never got her either of those things. 

People often asked Ben to describe how he felt when he found out. All he could remember was the very loud ringing noise in his head that turned into a headache that lasted for days. He was happy, of course. Unbelievably happy. It was a life-changing amount of money. He wouldn't have to work another day in his life, if he didn't want to. Everybody around him was so excited, his phone barely stopped ringing for an entire week. There was press, and interviews. Some were on television, and he sweat through his shirt in every single one. He'd pushed the sick feeling that had settled in his stomach out of his mind. It was so completely different from the impeachment - so why had it all felt so familiar?

At first, he put all of the money into a savings account. He spent an entire week trying to figure out what to do with it all. Eventually, he decided that he was going to take Cindy to Europe for a month. She'd loved the idea. They both took time off work and disappeared. While they were away, he wasn't obliged to answer everyone's calls. Things felt normal, until they got back home again.

He anonymously donated a _very_ large sum to the city of Partridge, Minnesota.

He gave his friends money, he bought his sister a house, set up college funds for his brother's kids, gave his parents a million each. He donated to charities, scrolled the internet to see who needed help, bought stupid things for himself like a giant Millennium Falcon replica and an apartment in New York City. He kept taking time off work, convincing Cindy to do the same, and whisking her away to a new country to explore. He thought he was being romantic.

People started treating him differently. Some of his best friends started to only talk to him about money - what he was doing with it, if he liked being rich, if they could have some. Everybody wanted too much from him and he couldn't keep up. He got let go at work because he was taking too much time off. He didn't even really care - he still had enough money to last him three lifetimes. His father only called when he needed a 'loan'. People from his childhood started popping up asking for cash. Every second of every day revolved around money. He grew bitter, and angry. Cindy left him.

The money ruined his life.

Unemployed, single, broken. And rich. He really was the whole package. He couldn't figure out what he'd done so wrong - he'd tried his best to help his friends and family and enjoy the money, but everything in his life just sort of felt empty now. Chris was the only one who was honest with him - he told him he was being an entitled asshole.

"You have all the money a person could want, and you're choosing to spend your life feeling sorry for yourself. I didn't want to have to say this, but there are people out there who have, literally, nothing, Ben. You have to do better."

And he was right. So, he got himself a shitty accounting job to fill the days, moved into a smaller apartment, and set up a yearly scholarship at his old university, Carleton College. He did what Chris told him to - and yet his life was still empty. He called Cindy, but she had a new boyfriend. He started dating but they all knew about the win and just wanted his money. Or maybe they didn't. He just assumed they did.

It was about two years ago when he accepted that this was just the way life was going to be. The only real relationships he had left were with some of his family, and Chris. Chris had never asked for a cent, and always said no whenever Ben offered. He'd told Ben to come to Pawnee for a few days because he was convinced it would be a nice break. He didn't have to be 'Ben, the guy that won the lotto', here. 

As Ben stood outside the Pawnee City Hall, he realised how wrong Chris had been. Here he was, 90 miles away from home, and he was still swept up in something related to his money. It was inescapable. 

He sighed, "You're an entitled asshole."

He walked in the front door and got directed to Room 120 by the lady at the front desk. The murals in the hallway caught his eye as he snaked his way around the building. He finally arrived at a door marked, 'Parks and Recreation'. He pushed it open and was met by a young girl on her phone.

"Hi." He said, but she didn't look up. He cleared his throat and repeated himself a little louder, "Hi."

"What do you want?" She said, still not looking at him.

"Uh, I'm here to see Leslie Knope."

The girl finally glanced at him, and then walked off. Ben wasn't sure if he was supposed to follow her or not, until she snapped her fingers at him and he quickly caught up.

"Leslie, this nerd's here." She said, waving a hand non-committedly in his direction. And then she was gone. Did she just call him a nerd?

Leslie smiled up at Ben from her desk, "Sorry, that's April. She's Ron's assistant."

Ben nodded as if he had any idea who Ron was.

"How are you?" Leslie had motioned to the seat near her desk, so he sat down.

"I'm alright, thanks. You?"

"I'm great. Busy. Excited."

Ben mostly wanted to skip over the small talk and just give her the $50,000, but she seemed to be waiting for something. Ben looked at the picture frames that lined her office walls.

"That's Ruth Bader Ginsburg." Leslie said, following his eyeline.

"Yeah." Ben said warmly, "Did you meet her?" The picture was signed.

"I got it off the internet." She said, seemingly both proud and embarrassed by that admission. Then her eyes caught something behind him and her face lit up. She stood up just as a smiling, dark-haired women entered the room.

"Hi, Leslie. I hope I'm not late."

"No, no, perfect timing. Ben, this is Shauna Malwae-Tweep."

Ben stood up and shook the woman's hand, returning her smile. He was very confused.

"It's lovely to meet you, Ben. Leslie's told me all about you. I can't wait to write this story."

He turned back to Leslie, who was looking between the two of them eagerly. "Story?"

"Shauna works at the Pawnee Journal. She's going to write up an article about your very generous donation and how it's going to allow us to build the park."

"Oh." It was all Ben could manage. She was a journalist. The press. A line of sweat formed on the nape of his neck, and he very suddenly needed to get out of this room. How could this be happening again? He couldn't escape people wanting his money. He also couldn't escape being interviewed, it seemed.

Leslie started to head out of the door, Shauna following along behind her. 

"Uh, Leslie? Could I talk to you quickly?"

She turned back, concerned. "Sure."

Shauna said she'd wait in the conference room, and Leslie walked back to where Ben was standing. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just kind of thought that this would be an anonymous donation."

"Are you nervous about doing the interview? I promise, Shauna is a great journalist-"

"It has nothing to do with how good of a journalist she is." He didn't mean to snap at Leslie, and he could see her recoil a little bit. "I'm sorry, this stuff just stresses me out."

"Okay, you don't have to do it." Her voice was blunt despite herself, "I'll just do the interview later, and I'll make sure she keeps you completely anonymous."

"Thank you." He said, grateful.

He watched Leslie head into the conference room and chat with Shauna. He wondered if he was over-reacting as he wiped his palms on his jeans, but decided that the panic sitting in his chest meant he definitely wasn't. The two women laughed and shook hands, and Shauna sent Ben a small wave as she left the department.

"I'm sorry, I'm just not good with the media because of... everything..." He trailed off, not actually wanting to bring up Ice Town or his lottery win.

"It's okay, I should have asked you if you were comfortable with it first, anyway. So... should we do this?" She looked up at him.

For a second, Ben wasn't entirely sure what she meant. Then he remembered the cheque that was in his wallet - the whole reason he was here. He grabbed it out and unfolded it. 

"Well, here you go." He handed it over to her. She took the piece of paper, holding it in her hands. There was a beat of silence between the two of them, and then - 

"That was..."

"Underwhelming?"

"Yeah." She laughed, looking down at his loopy writing on the cheque. "I kind of wish it was one of those giant cardboard cheques. Dammit, I should have gotten that organised."

Ben wasn't sure if she was serious or not.

"Wait a minute." Her eyes lit up. "April, get in here!" She yelled.

The young girl from earlier appeared in the doorway, "What?"

"I need you to do something for me, okay?" She was rummaging around in her desk drawers, "I need you to let off this party popper after Ben re-gives me this cheque."

April took the party popper from Leslie's hand. She barely seemed phased by this ridiculous task. Leslie handed the cheque back to Ben and said, "From the top."

Ben narrowed his eyes, stifling a laugh, and handed her the cheque again. "Well, here you go."

Leslie's eyes flicked to April as she reached out her hand, signalling for her to set off the popper. April pulled the string and the streamers came flying towards Leslie and Ben. They landed on Ben's wrist, the faint smell of smoke filling the air. 

Leslie frowned, "That was still underwhelming."

"Can I go?" April asked. 

Leslie nodded, looking around her office. "Maybe I could play triumphant music in the background?"

"You want me to do it again?" Ben asked.

Leslie heard the slight exasperation in his voice and shook her head, "Oh, no, I should let you go. I've already taken up so much of your time."

"Oh, it's okay." Ben realised how much he actually didn't mind - sure, she was a little intense and sort of overwhelming, but it was in a good way. "I'd actually love to hear about what you have planned for the park."

Leslie's face lit up. In the very short time that Ben had known her, this had happened a lot. She seemed to feel joy deeply. She pulled an extra chair around the back of her desk and motioned for him to sit next to her, opening a giant binder called 'Lot 48 Park Ideas'. She showed him lists and outlines and cute scribbles and drawings. She talked and talked and Ben laughed and smiled and complimented her thoroughness. 

"This park has to be perfect." She said, more to herself, and then looked at him to explain, "I'm doing it for my best friend, Ann Perkins. The empty lot is behind her house and I promised her I'd turn it into a park when we first met."

"Oh, I think I met her at the fundraiser."

"You did? Isn't she the best?"

Ben watched Leslie smile down at one of her drawings. A piece of hair fell from its place tucked behind her ear. Leslie reached up and tucked it back absentmindedly, and suddenly Ben was hit with a realisation: Leslie Knope was incredibly beautiful. It's not like he hadn't known that from the second he first saw her - it's just, he'd been a bit caught up in her snapping at him, and then the money, and the self-loathing. But as she sat there, full of love for her best friend and her job and this project, it became abundantly clear to him. And that was why he needed to get out of here, immediately. 

He stood up, sort of abruptly, and walked to the opposite side of her desk. "I just remembered I have to go."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I have a conference call in ten minutes." He lied.

Leslie stood up too, "I'm sorry for going on and on about the park."

Oh god, now she thought he was leaving because of how long she'd talked for. He really was the worst. "No, Leslie, I loved hearing about the park. Truly. Thank you for sharing it with me." He smiled at her and hoped she believed him.

"Will I see you again?"

"I have to leave tomorrow morning to get back to Indianapolis. I only managed to get a couple of days off work." 

"Oh." She said, nodding. "It feels weird to take $50,000 from someone I'm never going to see again."

They looked at each other for a moment.

"I'll give you my business card - you could call me once the park is all done. I'd love to come back and see it."

Leslie took the card from his outstretched hand, looking down at the small writing.

"Ben Wyatt, Accounting Consultant." She read aloud.

"That's me."

"Well, thank you, Ben. I really can't thank you enough."

Ben smiled at her, "Bye, Leslie."

He turned around and walked out of her office, past April, out of the Parks and Recreation Department door, out of the City Hall entrance and into the fresh air. He took a giant breath.

He needed to get out of this town before he fell in love with Leslie Knope.


	4. Chapter 4

Ben had spent the rest of the day checking out a couple more things from Leslie's article and trying not to think about her. He wondered how a person could sink into your bones so quickly.

He'd had dinner at JJ's because it was his last night, and it really was the best food he'd had in town. The waitress sent him a grateful wave on his way out. He'd left a giant tip.

As he dragged his small, packed travel suitcase across his hotel room the next morning, he felt some sort of sadness settle in his chest. Despite himself, this town had genuinely charmed him. He pulled open the door and jumped.

"Leslie?"

Leslie was standing on the other side of the door. She looked like she was working herself up to knock. "Oh, hey, Ben. How are you?"

"I'm good." 

"I just came to say goodbye. I'm glad I caught you before you left."

"Yeah." Ben smiled, nodding at her. "It was really great meeting you."

Leslie frowned a little bit, "You too."

Ben didn't know what else to say or do, and Leslie looked like she was thinking about something else even though she was the one who had shown up here to say goodbye. He hesitated a little, before, "Well, I guess I should be going then."

"You're an accounting consultant."

"Yes?" He thought they'd already established that yesterday.

"We need a numbers guy."

"What?"

"Stay here. Help me build this park."

His voice was soft, "Leslie, I can't just uproot my entire life to help you build a park."

"Sure you can." Her eyes were set on him, "We'd pay you."

"With the money I just gave you?"

Leslie turned away from him and chewed her lip. She looked a little annoyed. 

"I don't need money, Leslie." He said, trying to get his brain to catch up properly to what she was proposing. It was insane - truly insane. She wanted him to drop everything to stay here and help her build a park? People just didn't do that. Right?

"I know you don't _need_ the money, Ben. I just thought-" She stopped herself and turned to face him once again, "I just thought maybe it would be good for you."

"What does that mean?" He prickled.

"Nothing. Look, at the moment, Jerry is assigned to the budget. And Jerry - well, let's just say it's not in safe hands. I would do anything to make this park happen, even if that means begging someone I barely know to stay and help."

"You'd really do anything?"

"Well, I won't murder." Her eyes were teasing.

"That's good to know." Ben chuckled. "Okay."

"Okay?" She said excitedly.

"Yeah, okay. I'll stay."

Was he crazy? Maybe. But she was right; this would be good for him. All he had to go back to in Indy was his boring job and lonely lifestyle. Leslie sort of made him feel like anything was possible - like maybe he could be happy here. He could make some friends and feel like he was doing something for a reason. Like he had a purpose.

"Oh my gosh, Ben!" She exclaimed, and then she threw her arms around him. He was right about her hugs. She pulled back, her hands lingering on his arms, "We're going to have so much fun!"

Leslie's hands dropped and Ben couldn't help but be acutely aware of how his stomach had lifted at the contact. 

"I better go, I have a million things to do today but I'll set up a meeting so I can introduce you to everyone properly. I'll text you, okay?"

Ben nodded and watched her walk away, her small heels snapping on the concrete as she made her way to her car. Her hair was bouncing in the wind, and she shoved her hands inside her blazer's pockets. Ben sighed, but it was mostly a happy sigh. He rolled his suitcase back to his bed and started unpacking.

He had some calls to make.

* * *

"You're going to stay there? For how long?"

"I'm not sure." Ben was sitting in JJ's, stirring milk into his coffee. "I'm just going to stick around for a little while and help them with the budget for their park."

"Wow, that's..." Chris' voice trailed off on the other end of the line, unsure of what to say.

"Good. It's good, Chris." Ben balanced his phone between his ear and shoulder as he started to cut into his omelette. "I think this is the change I've been needing for a while."

"Well then, I'm happy for you buddy."

"Thanks. And I'll see you soon anyway - I'll have to come back and pick up some more of my stuff."

They said goodbye and Ben started eating properly. He'd called his work and told them he wasn't coming back for a month. He actually had no idea how long he'd be here for. His boss was pretty mad, but Ben was good at what he did so he was sure they'd let him come back when he needed to.

If nothing else, he'd get to keep eating these amazing omelettes.


	5. Chapter 5

Two days had passed with no word from Leslie.

Ben was starting to get worried - he had jeopardized his job for this and it was starting to really dawn on him that he didn't know Leslie. Like, at all. And that maybe this wasn't such a great idea. But then he received an email from her and the doubt immediately went away.

_Ben,_

_It's Leslie Knope from the Parks and Recreation Department. I'm so sorry it's taken so long for me to contact you - we had a raccoon problem at Harvey James Park and it's been a whole thing. People were hurt. Badly._

_Anyway! I hope you've been keeping well and enjoying Pawnee. Let me know if you need any suggestions on things to do around here. We were hoping to have our meeting tomorrow morning just before noon, will that work for you?_

_Warm regards,_  
_Leslie Knope_

Ben smiled at his laptop. He was a little nervous about the whole raccoon thing considering he had just agreed to stick around this town, but mostly he was just happy to hear from her. Because it meant he could get started on helping with the park. That was the only reason, he told himself.

He sent a quick email back telling her that he'd be there.

As he walked the halls of City Hall again the next morning, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous. There wasn't really any reason to be - he was doing them a favour - working for free- and he could technically just leave whenever he wanted to, but he still felt a little uneasy.

Leslie greeted him once he arrived at the Parks department and he could feel the energy vibrating from her. He couldn't help it; he loved how happy his money had made her. He realised he would give her every cent he had so that she could build parks all over the world, if she asked. 

_Oh, boy._

She led him into the conference room where a small group of people were already seated and chatting casually. 

"Everybody, this is Ben Wyatt. He's going to be helping us with the money side of things so Jerry, you're off the hook."

She looked towards a warm, smiling man who placed his hand over his heart and said, "Oh, thank God."

"This is Ann, Tom, and you already met April. They're also on the sub-committee."

Ben recognised Ann from the fundraiser and she sent him a small wave from her seat. April just stared at him, and Tom bobbed his head as a hello. Ben sat down at the table and turned to Leslie as she started going over the work that they had ahead of them. She had an in-depth presentation projected onto a screen which she spent about an hour talking through, before giving everyone their assignments. April and Tom ran from the room the second she stopped talking, Jerry gathered his things slowly and left, while Ann went over to Leslie and chatted to her quietly in the corner.

Ben looked over the notes he'd taken. It felt good to be back doing government work. He'd been kidding himself for years thinking that he was okay being in the private sector.

"Hey, Ben. I just wanted to say thank you for donating the money. Leslie's been so..." Ann trailed off and looked over her shoulder at Leslie, who was packing up her computer. She was glowing. "Excited." She finished.

"Oh yeah, sure. I mean, I just have the dumb money sitting there. It might as well go towards something important and meaningful."

"I think so too." She sent him a sweet smile and left, calling out a goodbye to Leslie as she did.

Leslie walked over to Ben, laptop bundled under her arm, and asked if he wanted to grab lunch. "We could start working on the budget plan while we eat."

Ben stood up, "That sounds great. Could we go to that JJ's Diner place? They do really good omelettes."

Leslie's eyes grew wide, "A man after my own heart."

He knew she was joking, but her words made _his_ heart skip a little beat.

* * *

JJ's was pretty busy with the lunch rush when they arrived but they managed to get the last booth. Leslie had talked to JJ, the owner, for at least ten minutes. He was updating her about his wife's sprained ankle and how his kids were doing, and Ben was enjoying listening to their easy banter.

They ordered and chatted about Leslie's work while they waited for their food. Ben teased her about ordering waffles for lunch, and she accused him of being the fun police. He noticed she'd already had three cups of coffee, while he still on his first. He also noticed the amount of sugar and whipped cream she'd added to each cup. 

"Oh, hey, you never said - did you want me to write you a list of things to do in Pawnee with your spare time?"

Ben smiled at her, "No need." He opened the tab on his internet browser with her article already loaded and showed it to her.

"You read my article?" She beamed at him from across the table.

"Yeah." He chuckled, "I actually stumbled across it before I even met you at Ramsett Park."

Leslie scrunched her nose up at the mention of their first meeting, remembering the way she had shut down his very generous offer.

"It must have been fate that we met. You've been showing me the magic of Pawnee since the moment I got here." He heard how that sounded and groaned, "Sorry, that's-"

"No. Thank you. I'm glad you've found it useful." She was smiling at him, but it was smaller and softer than usual. Almost shy. "I had over 500 more things I wanted to add to the list but the Pawnee Journal said they wouldn't publish it online until I edited it."

"Good Lord, there's 826 things to do in this town?"

"At least." Leslie nodded, as she took another whipped cream-filled bite of waffle.

Ben watched her for a moment. She was being completely serious and he honestly didn't doubt that she _could_ think of that many things to do in this tiny town. It almost felt like she could do anything. He cleared his throat. His thoughts were heading into starry-eyed admiration territory.

"So, should we get started on the budget plan?"

"Yes, let's do it." She answered as she waved the waitress over to ask for more coffee. She talked to the staff here like they were dear friends. They probably were.

"Well, why don't we start by discussing the non-negotiable stuff that you have planned for the park? That will give me a starting point for an initial budget, and we can always tinker with it as things change."

"Okay, so ideas that I'm not willing to budge on?"

Ben nodded as he pulled out his pad-folio, ready to write down whatever she said.

"A roller coaster."

Ben hesitated, trying to assess whether or not she was joking. "Um, when you showed me your ideas in your office, we were talking on more of a park benches and pretty trees scale?"

Leslie held up her index finger, causing him to fall silent. She continued -

"I want the roller coaster to be Wild West-themed, so we'll need to spend some money on decorating the surroundings with gold mines and a saloon. I want the saloon to actually be real so that we can sell cold drinks there during the summer. Oh, and we have to have a large Wamapoke playground, and I want it to have plaques all around with information about Pawnee's history so that the children can learn while they play. I'm not sure if these exist yet but - a waterslide that goes underground."

Leslie's eyes were afire. Ben listened, not saying a word.

"I also need a glockenspiel clock but I want it to be really elaborate and better than all of the ones in Europe. A motorcycle racing track. A Wizard of Oz-themed hot air balloon launch pad. A steam train that weaves throughout the entire park. At least seven bouncy castles - are you getting any of this down?"

Leslie was staring at Ben's hand hovering above his pad-folio, pen ready. He hadn't scribbled a single thing yet.

"Can I ask you a quick question?"

"Shoot." Leslie said.

"Do you really think that a roller coaster, an operational saloon, a playground, an underground waterslide, a glockenspiel, a racing track, a launch pad, a steam train _and_ seven bouncy castles are all going to fit into the plot of land we have?"

Leslie decided to ignore his tone, "Yes."

"And those are the ideas you _won't_ budge on?"

"Yes." She repeated. He could hear the defiance rising in her voice.

"Leslie, those things - they're impossible. Surely you know that? You can't put a roller coaster in a suburban area, let alone a hot-air balloon launch pad. Honestly, the only one that seems achievable is the playground."

She narrowed her eyes at him, "I can do it."

"I don't think you can. I don't think anyone could."

She looked away from him and he could tell she was quietly fuming. How could she be serious? He had figured that she was passionate from the moment they met, but this was ridiculous. Right? She had to know, deep down, that those things were out of their budget and not realistic in the slightest. And yet, there she was in front of him, muttering under her breath as she finished her waffle. 

Ben sighed, "Look, I know what it's like to have huge ideas that you want to make happen. I really do. I mean, that's what happened with Ice Town. But the reality is, you have to strip big ideas down to make them manageable ones. Otherwise, you'll end up bankrupting an entire town at the age of eighteen."

"That's not the same thing. That's not the same thing at all."

God, she was frustrating. And stubborn.

"I'm just trying to give you some perspective."

"I have plenty of perspective, thank you very much. And who are you to tell me that anyway? You think you can just waltz into town and start telling me what I can and can't do?"

She wasn't shouting, but her voice had hitched and Ben wished she would speak just a little bit quieter. People were starting to stare at their booth.

"You asked me to." He pointed out.

"Dammit." Leslie took a deep breath, "That's true."

Everything was still between them for a moment, neither one wanting to say anything to stir it all up again. Leslie was the first to speak. She was looking down at her now-empty plate and her voice was quiet again.

"I'm sorry. I took the whole 'Go Big or Go Home' idea too seriously. I just want this park to be perfect."

"I know." Ben softened, "I'm just trying to help you make it perfect."

Leslie looked up at him, "I'd understand if you wanted to leave. I know I can be too much."

Ben felt a tiny piece inside of him snap in two. She had said the last sentence offhandedly, but he could tell that more than one person in her life had said those words to her before. Ben wanted to punch those people in the face. Sure, she was frustrating but she was frustrating in the most perfect way. It was going to keep him on his toes. She cared and it was fierce. Ben felt alive just thinking about all of the heated discussions they were bound to have.

"I think you're an excellent amount of much." He offered.

She smiled at him, weakly, "Thank you."

He told her that he'd work on the budget plan tonight and bring it to her tomorrow. "We can go over it together."

She nodded, "And I'll email you the ideas I have as soon as I get back to the office." She noticed his playfully raised eyebrows and added, "The realistic ones, I promise."

He tried to pay the bill, but she insisted that he let her. He reminded her that he had a stupid amount of money.

"I don't care." She frowned at him, "That doesn't mean that I don't have money, too."

Ben realised that she was right. He was so used to people just expecting him to pay. He didn't mind paying, obviously, but it was a nice gesture from Leslie. He thanked her for the meal as they stood in the parking lot, and she smiled up at him. 

"It's the least I could do. I'll see you tomorrow."

By the time he'd gotten back to the hotel and opened up his laptop, Leslie had already sent him the email she'd promised. The subject heading read, _What about an Olympic-sized outdoor pool?? KIDDING!!!!,_ and he chuckled.

He clicked on it and read. The ideas were beautiful - the Wamapoke playground, handmade benches by her boss, Ron, all sorts of tress and plants to help fill the park with shade and birds, and a statue of Li'l Sebastian. 

He knew he hadn't been here long but it felt right. It felt like Pawnee. It felt like Leslie. 


End file.
